By the time the clock had struck noon, the trio had arrived at Arronsburg's border. Entering was easy, all they did was flash their badges, and just like that, they were granted access to the neighboring kingdom's vast interior. They regrouped at a park near the entrance.
"Pretty…" said Alora, arms crossed.
Talen rubbed his chin. "Hmm. It is pretty, but what's this statue? I've never seen it back home."
"That's Arron. Didn't you read the history books in school, Tal?" Uriel asked, returning with pocketed hands.
"Uhhh—"
Uri sighed. "Well… guess it's time for a history lesson. Arronsburg and Barronia are but only two kingdoms amid the grand Empire of Kismet. Of course, our home is the Capital, but there are still three other kingdoms with their government. Arron the Great was one of the ancient progenitors of Kismet, said to have heralded the start of healing Fate markings only 800 years ago. The royals of the city now inherit the blood of the Great Arron and use this statue of him to praise their beloved ancestor."
"Hmm. Arron the Great, huh? I doubt he's all the legends say about him. Wouldn't be too surprised if he was some sort of mass murder—"
Alora's hand covered Talen's lips. "Watch your mouth! We don't have special treatment here. They catch you saying shit, there's no immunity to protect you!"
Uriel rolled his eyes. "Relax. He's with the son of the King. Everything will be fine as long as I'm here."
Lora sighed. "Whatever. Just trying to look out for you two…"
"Alright, enough. We decided to regroup here because we need to figure out what's our next move. Enforcers are usually granted access to all information about the assignment beforehand. It's the same here, too. So, what do we know?" Uri's gaze scanned his comrades. "Talen, gimme an answer!"
"Uh…" Tal scratched his neck. "Monstrum killed a bunch of people and the vessel he's using is named Anthony something?"
"Close enough! It's Anthony Whitlock. Let's review some data. From Samael and Ava's eyewitness accounts, we can determine the Displacement they were fighting was Monstrum. The white hair and red eyes match. This was another instance of a Displacement incarnating into a human vessel. Unfortunately for us, the vessel was indistinguishable and Monstrum overtook the body entirely. The same doesn't exactly have to be true for Anthony," the Prince said.
Alora's eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If the new vessel was identified to be Anthony, can't we theorize that the host remains even after Monstrum's incarnation?" Uri asked.
"But—" Tal's hand rose. "-what does that matter? Even if this kid survived, is that important?"
"It could be. Mrs. Amit supported my hypothesis and decided to give me information on Anthony before our departure. It said his grandparents were former Fate-users and previously lived in Barronia's interior."
"Wait. I don't understand. Is this Monstrum the same one Ava and Samael were fighting? How is it he's incarnated twice in one day? Can he truly survive in multiple vessels?" Alora asked.
"We don't know. If there truly are two Monstrums out there we can only focus on one for now. Anthony's body was at least identifiable, let's go off of that for now."
"Wait," Talen interjected. "Let's say Monstrum isn't completely dominant this time around. Let's say that Anthony and Monstrum both have control of the body at different times. Why do you think that is? The other vessel from Ava's assignment was completely submissive; Monstrum was entirely dominant. So, what's changed? What makes this Anthony kid so special that Monstrum co-exists with him rather than killing him?" he asked.
Uriel and Alora shrugged simultaneously.
"There's no way of knowing how this works. The best thing we can do right now is hope for the best with the limited information we have." Uriel began scratching his chin. "That being said, if Anthony and Monstrum share control of the body, that means the host would be dominant and the invader could be suppressed. Anthony is descended from Fate-users. He'll probably be heading there to gain some idea of what's happening to him. We should meet him there. What do you two think?"
Alora nodded. "I'm game. The quicker we get this over with, the better."
"Hah! Like I'd back out now! This case is starting to get interesting…"
"Alright then. It's settled. We'll intercept Malum Monstrum and Anthony Whitlock and eliminate them both."
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Anthony approached his grandparents' home; indomitable golden rays brightening his snowy white skin. From the way his red eyes reflected the familiar house, Monstrum could sense his vessel's innate weakness.
"You adore this place, hm? It does look rather cozy. I see the appeal," said Malum.
Tony sighed. "Yeah, well—we're not exactly visiting for a social call. I gotta get you out of me. And fast."
He knocked on the door. No response. He knocked on the door again. No response yet again.
'That's odd. They didn't leave me a message or anything saying they were going out. Or… maybe they did? I haven't been home in a while. Whatever. I'll just use the key and wait for them to get home.'
Tony kneeled, rummaging under the welcoming rug to reveal the front door's key. He inserted it, hearing the snick of the lock release, and slowly entered, only to find his instincts urging him to withdraw almost immediately.
The next step he took was one drenched in blood; what lay bare before him was an undeniable tragedy. He couldn't believe his eyes. Both grandparents, each as bloody as the other, were but corpses in the middle of the vacant living room. The boy's feet moved without thinking. Standing over the gory bodies, Tony was utterly speechless. Only his wide eyes reflecting the murder could convey any sort of human emotion. But even then, what more could he do?
He fell to his knees, stifling tears. His quivering lip eventually gave so he could unleash hysterical laughter.
Malum ignored him, hiding his hands and walking around to scan the environment. In his right eye's peripheral, he could sense something. Something… familiar.
"Hey, brat. Get up. There's something here the both of us need."
"I can't…" Tony's tearful eyes opened. "I can't… do anything… anymore…"
Monstrum kneeled beside the vessel with one hand on his shoulder, glowing red pupils shooting daggers into his face.
"What are you doing? Stand up. You want to avenge them, don't you? Your grandfather. Your grandmother. They raised you, didn't they? They were the closest thing you ever had to people who genuinely loved you. Tell me, what type of monster would purposefully send a poor innocent boy to the depths of despair?"
Tony's breath hitched. He slowly sat up, somberly staring into the Disaster's orbs. Monstrum's fingers sunk into the boy's shoulders, manually angling him so he could gaze ahead at the wall before him.
"That's—"
"The restroom. Within there lies power untold. Intake it. Consume it. Become a being stronger than anyone in this world. Avenge them, Anthony. Avenge your parents!"
Anthony stumbled to his feet, dragging his weight along the floorboards to settle within the darkened bathroom's bloody doorframe. There it was—idle on the marbled ground. One of Monstrum's arms emanated evil and darkness as far as the eye could see.
Did someone plant it there? Did they murder his grandparents? It didn't matter. Not anymore. The boy kneeled again, snatching the arm off the floor.
'Avenge them, Anthony! Avenge your parents!'
The moment his teeth sunk into the flesh, his fate was sealed.
Outside the house…
"So that's it, huh?" asked Talen.
"You can tell white people live here," Alora said.
Uriel shook his head. "Shut up, you two. Look." he pointed ahead. "The door's open. Let's go in and see if the kid—"
The house exploded. The trio covered their faces; Uriel instinctively retreated while Talen and Alora stepped forward. The pure shock across his face said it all. Wide eyes reflecting the house's unrelenting blaze dug ever deeper into the flames, spotting the shape of a man exiting the inferno with pocketed hands and intact skin. The closer he approached them all, the clearer it became. His hair was white, his eyes were red.
The trios' auras simultaneously activated.
"What the hell…" Uriel said through heavy breaths.
"Looks like the grandparents are dead. And that's—" Alora pointed at Monstrum approaching them. "—Anthony, right?"
"No shit. Now we kill him, right?" Tal asked.
Uriel was silent.
"RIGHT?"
The Prince jerked back to reality and glanced at his two comrades. Setting aside his frightened breathing, he nodded.
"RIGHT!" Uriel clapped his hands together. "Commence extermination!! No mercy!!"
Talen and Alora nodded. "Roger!"
Monstrum grinned.
"Good, good! LET'S BRING THIS TO THE DEATH, INSOLENT CHILDREN!!"
To Be Cont.